When discussing blended learning in China, scholars often refer to MOOCs-based or SPOCs-based blended learning. Blended learning, as a teaching method, gained rapid popularity in China following the widespread adoption of MOOCs and SPOCs. The history of blended learning predates that of MOOCs and encompasses a learning model that combines the advantages of traditional classroom learning and online learning. Blended learning aims to maximize learning outcomes in the most cost-effective manner, earning consensus within the international educational technology community.

Initially, scholars offered varied perspectives on blended learning, which can be summarized as follows: Singh and Reed (2001) defines blended learning as a teaching method that effectively transfers “appropriate” knowledge and skills to learners, using “suitable” instructional technology and teaching styles at an opportune time to achieve optimal teaching outcomes. In China, He (2004), a renowned educational technology expert, proposes that blended learning is a new teaching approach that integrates traditional offline learning methods with the learning advantages facilitated by modern technology networks. In this context, teachers play a crucial role in guiding students’ learning initiative, fostering their enthusiasm for learning, promoting creative thinking, and monitoring their overall learning process. Carman (2005), the president of Agilent Learning, identifies five key factors determining the quality of blended learning: live events, performance support materials, self-paced learning, assessment, and collaboration. Moreover, he is highly confident in the future of blended learning. He believes that the key factor lies in the quality of teaching content. As long as the quality of teaching content can be ensured, blended learning will prove to be an exceptional teaching method.

Based on the aforementioned definition, blended learning emerged with the advent of the internet and integrated with traditional teaching processes. Moreover, it is widely acknowledged that the optimal learning outcomes of blended learning can be achieved by combining traditional and online learning, leveraging their respective strengths. In comparison, blended learning encompasses a broader research scope than MOOCs, with MOOCs being considered as a subset of blended learning (Li W., 2018).

Over time and with the advancement of new technologies, scholars today have developed new insights and perspectives on blended learning. Hrastinski (2019) provides varying definitions, models, conceptualizations, and meanings. According to him, blended learning has become a general concept that not only combines online course content for learning purposes. Blended learning includes the integration of teaching methods and other elements at multiple levels, such as the combination of different technical tools, although these blends may not align with the most influential definition of blended learning. Johannes (2020) challenges the notion that blended learning must be built upon face-to-face and online instruction. Furthermore, he offers a new definition: blended learning involves the appropriate utilization of various methods, technologies, and theories to optimize learning within a designated environment.

Despite the numerous studies and papers on Blended Learning that currently exist, comprehensive research that encompasses all majors across the entire school is remarkably scarce. There is an urgent need for relevant research to address these issues. This study aims to fill this research gap by conducting a quantitative comparative analysis primarily focusing on three aspects: teaching quality, ethics education and students’ learning satisfaction, as compared to traditional teaching methods. Additionally, qualitative interviews will be supplemented, followed by extensive qualitative viewpoint categorization and analysis.

In this study, blended learning specifically referred to the blended learning based on MOOCs and SPOCs. In these courses, certain teaching content was arranged for students to learn independently through MOOCs and SPOCs, and corresponding scores were given. At the same time, teachers were also required to complete offline teaching tasks, which should account for no less than half of the total class hours.

After Professor Kekang He introduced blended learning and constructivism to China for the first time, many Chinese educational technology scholars and experts began to study this research field (He, 2004). Blended learning has now become a popular topic for domestic teaching reform. In July 2022, a total of 5,136 articles with the theme of blended learning were retrieved from CNKI (China National Knowledge Internet). Among them, 569 articles are from core publications of Peking University or CSSCI (Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index).

Due to the large number of references, this study tends to utilize the statistical analysis tool of bibliographic information, SATI (Statistical Analysis Toolkit for Informatics), to analyze the 569 articles. This study aims to conduct visual centrality analysis on these Chinese papers using SATI. The analysis focuses on keywords, utilizing SATI for field extraction, word frequency statistics, and matrix generation. UCINET and Netdraw are then used to generate a visual network knowledge map. SATI is a mature software for literature analysis, and numerous studies have been conducted based on this software (Ren et al., 2024).

In this study, the data of 569 academic literature titles in Endnote format were imported into SATI 3.2 for keyword statistics, resulting in a total of 1,209 original keywords. Table 1 presented the top 10 keywords.

The high-frequency keywords’ cloud image and knowledge map were presented in Figures 1, 2, respectively. Additionally, the temporal variation of keyword frequency was depicted in Figure 3.

Since the introduction of MOOCs in China in 2015, blended learning has gained traction and an increasing number of articles on this topic have emerged. In particular, after the Ministry of Education issued relevant policies on blended teaching in 2018 (Wu, 2018), the term “blended teaching” began to surpass “blended learning” in popularity.

Among the keywords analyzed, MOOCs, online learning, and SPOCs were among the top 10, indicating a close relationship between blended learning in China and these two forms of online learning. The association between these keywords was illustrated in Figure 4.

It is evident that research on blended learning is thriving in China. The relatively lower number of articles in 2022 compared to 2021 can be attributed to the fact that the retrieval for this study was conducted in July 2022, and many articles published later in 2022 were not yet included in CNKI.

This study aimed to enhance the overall academic evaluation within the school by conducting a comprehensive analysis. To achieve this, a 5-point scale was developed by the researchers, which was widely recognized as an official and classic scale in China. Subsequently, a random sample of 375 students was chosen from traditional offline courses.

The Cronbach’s coefficients for QOF, IPE, and SLS are 0.973, 0.954, and 0.938, respectively. This demonstrates that the scale data are highly reliable and suitable for research analysis. For detailed data, please refer to Tables 4–6 below.

The sample size in this study was sufficiently large, and strict random sampling was employed during data collection, thereby satisfying the assumption of normal distribution and justifying the use of paired T-test analysis. To assess potential significant differences, paired T-test analysis and variance testing were conducted on the collected data from both groups. The measurement scales utilized in this research underwent rigorous review and validation by experts from the Academic Affairs Office of Zhejiang Ocean University, as well as by education specialists across the institution.

According to 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4, this study summarized the hypotheses as shown in the following Table 11.

Based on the Paired T-test in Tables 7–9, it could be observed that students’ evaluation of blended learning was better than that of traditional teaching courses. In terms of students’ learning satisfaction, they generally exhibited higher levels of satisfaction with the MOOCs or SPOCs based blended learning commonly adopted in China compared to traditional teaching methods.

However, in subsequent qualitative interviews, many individuals expressed their opinions and concerns regarding online teaching, suggesting significant shortcomings. These concerns centered around the challenges faced by teachers in managing and supervising students online, as well as the potential for online learning content to cultivate student passivity, with students resorting to simulated completion of tasks without fully engaging with the instructional materials. Consequently, it would be inappropriate to simply accept the conclusions derived from quantitative analyses.

Blended learning approaches, which combined online and traditional teaching methods, offered distinct advantages, particularly in terms of enhancing student satisfaction, as acknowledged by students themselves. Nevertheless, it would be erroneous to attribute the effectiveness of blended learning solely to the adoption of conventional teaching practices. Thus, it is imperative to undertake further research to comprehensively investigate and delve into this issue.

Conclusion 1: The integration of some online and offline courses within the overall instructional design was not effectively established, leading to fragmented educational content. Some students even perceived this as engaging with two distinct courses. This situation was predominantly due to the fundamental dissimilarities in the instructional content of certain subjects. For example, “The Ocean of Film and Television—Exploring Camera and Post Production Techniques” was bifurcated into photography and video production processing. Likewise, “Traditional Chinese Studies and Social Life” was presented in two parts: an introduction to traditional Chinese culture and the understanding and application of Chinese culture in contemporary society. In the structuring of instruction, teachers directly provided some relatively straightforward content as online courses.

Suggestion 1: To address this issue, teachers should not overlook the content taught online during offline courses. Instead, they can use appropriate references to demonstrate the interconnectedness of knowledge between the online and offline components. By doing so, students will not feel disconnected while studying.

Conclusion 2: The effectiveness of teaching was influenced by the quality of the platform and network. When selecting a teaching platform, teachers should have fully considered its usability and accessibility. They should have also taken into account the appropriateness of the course content on the platform and strove to create online teaching resources themselves or incorporated their own content into existing teaching resources.

Suggestion 2: It is crucial to attach great importance to students’ evaluation of the teaching environment in order to enhance teaching. By incorporating their opinions on the teaching platform into the student evaluation scale, one can select the teaching platform based on their thoughts and judgments. Additionally, these opinions can serve as a significant basis for schools to choose online teaching platforms. This approach allows students to opt for their preferred or more adaptable learning platforms, thus improving teaching quality and learning efficiency.

From the viewpoint of universities and educators, blended learning diminishes instructional expenses and alleviates the academic workload on college faculty. This method augments the investment and quality of teachers’ face-to-face instruction, affording them more time and energy for scholarly research. Regarding students’ learning contentment, surveyed students highly commend blended learning, as it also grants them greater autonomy in their educational pursuits.

Nevertheless, it merits inquiry whether blended learning yields superior educational outcomes compared to conventional instruction from the standpoint of learning results. Presently, although numerous articles extol the efficacy of employing blended learning for particular courses, these studies are frequently undertaken by the educators themselves, thereby lacking impartiality. Moreover, there is an absence of comprehensive, institution-wide research initiated by school administrators or academic affairs departments. From the perspective of institutional management, the prevailing assumption is often that increased input correlates with increased output. Given the diminished input in blended learning, further investigation is essential to ascertain whether the outcomes will correspondingly diminish.

Shortcomings of the study:

These limitations highlight critical avenues for future scholarly exploration.